Heeding the Call

Heeding the Call

Chapter 3: Edited for Your Pleasure.

After revealing my purpose to Twilight I knew that she would have questions. Overloading Twilight’s brain with questions was not my intention. While her mind sorted through the many thoughts rampaging through her head, I watched my reflection in my tea. I looked into the brown liquid, and I worried

The Children are not perfect. We are with emotions. We make mistakes. And I now worry that I have just made one.

There were never rules against revealing the truth. I could spread the truth to the world, show what I can do and prove everything. It just was not ever important. Nor was it a part of my duty. Although some could say spreading the truth of The Mother could spread joy… but forcing the truth onto ponies would not make everypony happy.

“Why?” I looked up from my beverage when I heard Twilight’s voice. Somewhat surprised by the first question. “Why are coming to me first? The most skeptical of ponies. Why are you telling anypony? Most of all, why is this making you sad?” As she spouted her questions a frown began to form. I was not doing my job very well. But my job must wait for once.

After taking another sip from my tea I put down the empty cup, I leaned back on the couch and spoke. “Why you first?  Think about it for a moment. Who in the whole wiiiide”, I stretched my hooves out as far as I could, “world would be the best pony to judge how much knowledge there is on a subject, let alone out of my closest friends?” I put my hooves back down on the couch and I stared at her expectantly for a few seconds before she nodded.

Twilight rose one of her hooves and tapped her chin.“Sounds reasonable. Find out how much you would need to explain rather than explain the whole story.”

“Exactly! Far as I could know I would have had to explain how the universe was made before getting anywhere.”

This made Twilight stop in the middle of her drinking. It also made her cough a couple times before she could speak. “Wait *cough* DO you know how the universe was made?” She sat her tea down. “The best any scientist can guess is it poofed into existence. Some even say it was a large explosion.”

I considered answering the question but we didn’t exactly have much time. Instead I went with, “Well you see Twi, when a mommy universe and a daddy universe love each other veeery much” I stopped there in a fit of giggles.

“Oh ha ha, at least you haven’t lost your funny bone. We would have had to make a monument commemorating all its hard work” She rolled her eyes a bit before joining in the giggles. The itch telling me to make someone smile was satisfied for now.

When the laughing fit slowed I glanced at my fur. It was a little brighter than it was this morning, but I was quite obviously not my normal self.

“The other two questions are pretty much the same. I’m telling you and our friends because The Mother has called for me to return to The Essence, where The Mother dwells and all life ends up.” Adding more questions into the mix won’t help her much but it had to be answered. “And I have no idea when or if I will return.”

“Surely she can’t need you for too long, I wouldn’t think time would mean anything to Her.”

“You are right, She does not care much for time at all and as a result might let it pass without a thought or might freeze it to Her desires. When I was last called to return I did not come back for five thousand years.” I was about to reflect on my time in the Essence, but my musings were interrupted.

“Five thousand years!? B-but, you’re the Child of Joy! You must be a large part of this world. Most of the world is happy at any given point!” She was starting to panic. I don’t blame her. I am too in my own ways.

I stared down towards my hooves “But that is just it. The world is perpetually happy, thus rendering my direct influence typically useless. On a regular basis my job is to keep record of everything that makes somepony smile. I hate it.”

This made Twilight’s mind reboot. Again. “Wait, I thought you loved making everyone smile, why would you hate knowing how to do it?”

I continued to watch my hooves as tear drops began to fall to them. “I don’t get to see them. I don't get to see everyponies smile. I get to take note of what makes them smile, but not the look of joy that dawns their face.”

As Twilight gasped, my head dropped to my hooves to cover my eyes and tears. After a moment of crying I felt a comforting hoof stretch over my side. Twilight stayed there hugging me.

Neither of us noticed anything until we heard from the door a collective gasp.